Various vehicles are known for use in collecting and transporting refuse. Refuse vehicles often employ a refuse loader to load refuse into the refuse vehicle's refuse container. One example of such a refuse loader is a refuse vehicle having a front loader. Such front loaders typically comprise a pair of arms and forks which are movable with electric, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuator systems. When loading refuse, the front loader's forks may be received by a refuse bin. The arms may then be raised which, in turn, raises the forks and the refuse bin. In this manner, the refuse bin may be raised over the cab of the refuse vehicle where the refuse can be deposited into a hopper. Typically, this process of loading refuse is controlled by a human operator.
Unfortunately, this process has a number of disadvantages. In some situations, a portion of the refuse fails to fall out of the refuse bin and into the hopper. In these situations, the operator can shake the refuse bin a few times to loosen the refuse. Typically, the operator shakes the refuse bin by moving either or both the forks and arms in short repetitive movements. The forks and arms are often near mechanical stops when these short repetitive movements occur. Unfortunately, these repetitive movements may result in the arms and forks reaching their mechanical stops causing undue wear and tear on the front loader. This wear and tear may decrease the operative life of the front loader and result in increased repair and maintenance costs.
In other situations, refuse vehicles having front loaders may spill refuse on the ground as the refuse bin is being lifted. This is often a problem when the refuse bin has been overfilled. As the arms and forks rise, the forks and refuse bin gradually transition from being in largely a horizontal position to a more vertical position in preparation for the refuse bin to be dumped in the hopper. During this transition, refuse may be spilled. When refuse spills, the operator must exit the refuse vehicle, manually load the refuse into the refuse bin, reenter the refuse vehicle, and, using the front loader, empty the refuse bin. This process results in a significant loss of efficiency for the operator of the refuse vehicle. In addition to the efficiency loss, some of the spilled refuse may be blown away or scattered such that it would take too much of the operator's time to put it back in the refuse bin. The result may be refuse distributed near and around the location of a refuse bin. This is very undesirable aesthetically and may have significant negative environmental impacts on the surrounding area.
Further, in other situations, the operator of the refuse vehicle may have difficulty determining the location of the arms and forks. This may especially be a problem when the arms and forks are located above the cab of the refuse vehicle and out of sight of the operator. The operator may need to be able to quickly determine the position of the forks or arms, e.g., the operator needs to know whether the forks are stowed in preparation for the refuse vehicle to travel. Unfortunately, the operator is typically limited to visually verifying the position of the arms and forks.
In other situations, the operator may not be aware of the position of the various components of the refuse vehicle and attempt to perform a function that may result in damaging the refuse vehicle or spilling refuse. For example, an operator of a front loading refuse vehicle may forget to open the door of the hopper before attempting to move a load into the hopper. Such a mistake may result in spilled refuse distributed on the vehicle and the adjacent ground. Another example might occur when the operator extends the packer to push the refuse out of the refuse container without remembering to open the tailgate. In this situation, the refuse would be pressed up against the tailgate by the packer with tremendous force. This may result in significant and costly damage to the refuse vehicle.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a control system for a refuse vehicle having a refuse loader which overcomes one or more of the above-mentioned problems. Advantageously, such a control system would enhance many aspects of refuse collection and transportation. The techniques below extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they provide any of the above-mentioned advantageous features.